"CONELRAD keeps alive the memory of one of the strangest of pop music subgenres-conservatism-themed folk music acts of the 1960s who were promoted in an unsuccessful attempt to counter the Bob Dylans and Peter Paul & Marys of the scene. Perhaps most fascinating is Janet Greene, a former children's television personality in Ohio who was discovered by the right wing organization Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, which had Greene record a series of propagandistic songs and put her in the spotlight as the "anti-Joan Baez". The most entertaining work in her catalogue is "Poor Left Winger", a tale of woe concerning a naive girl seduced by a communist beatnik "bearded singer" mocked for his "espresso", "demonstrations", and dirty shirt:"

I met Bob Dylan when he was younger (me too). He would not have considered either of the terms "Communist" or "Republican" as derogatory, just irrelevant. I don't know as much about his views today. In his younger days, Dylan was more a practical romantic and not overtly political. Others painted his tunes as purely political. I don't think that was true. And objectively, Bob Dylan is one of America's greatest song writers.

I met Bob Dylan when he was younger (me too). He would not have considered either of the terms "Communist" or "Republican" as derogatory, just irrelevant. I don't know as much about his views today. In his younger days, Dylan was more a practical romantic and not overtly political. Others painted his tunes as purely political. I don't think that was true. And objectively, Bob Dylan is one of America's greatest song writers.

I met Bob Dylan when he was younger (me too). He would not have considered either of the terms "Communist" or "Republican" as derogatory, just irrelevant. I don't know as much about his views today. In his younger days, Dylan was more a practical romantic and not overtly political. Others painted his tunes as purely political. I don't think that was true. And objectively, Bob Dylan is one of America's greatest song writers.

jpo2269:What is "Bob Dylan" and "best muscian of the last 100 years" doing in the same sentence?

Speaking as someone who agrees with Jann Wenner's assessment - "Bob Dylan is the greatest white male pop vocalist of the past half century; no one is better, and no one even comes very close" - I still figure that the headline is trolling.

My father went to high school Bob Dylan in Hibbing Minnesota. The two didn't like each other on a personal level, and my father still remembers Bob Dylan making fun of my father for playing guitar, saying "What are you, a farking Oakie?". This was back when Bob Dylan was doing a little Richard impersonation in a town used to hearing Schottisches and Waltzes.

Anyway, everyone who could was leaving that town, the mines were closing and they all knew there would be no jobs. Some became mathematicians, some became carpenter's wives, some became folk musicians who couldn't sing.

Either way, the town was settled by Scandinavian immigrants (most notably Finns) and that highly influenced their political beliefs. Everyone I know from my father's side falls somewhere on the left, and a former leader of the Communist party, Gus Hall, came from Hibbing. So yeah, lyric meanings aside it's unlikely that Bob Dylan is a conservative, much less that he has anything in common with some wacked out conservative conspiracy theorist.

My father went to high school Bob Dylan in Hibbing Minnesota. The two didn't like each other on a personal level, and my father still remembers Bob Dylan making fun of my father for playing guitar, saying "What are you, a farking Oakie?". This was back when Bob Dylan was doing a little Richard impersonation in a town used to hearing Schottisches and Waltzes.

Anyway, everyone who could was leaving that town, the mines were closing and they all knew there would be no jobs. Some became mathematicians, some became carpenter's wives, some became folk musicians who couldn't sing.

you're telling me a 16 year old Bob Dylan wasn't a mature fount of wisdom?

I met Bob Dylan when he was younger (me too). He would not have considered either of the terms "Communist" or "Republican" as derogatory, just irrelevant. I don't know as much about his views today. In his younger days, Dylan was more a practical romantic and not overtly political. Others painted his tunes as purely political. I don't think that was true. And objectively, Bob Dylan is one of America's greatest song writers.